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SUMMARY:GAZA IN CONTEXT: The Colonial History that Shaped the Modern Middle East
DESCRIPTION:A 4-part online series Sundays\, Jan 5\, 12\, 26\, and Feb 2\, 2025\, all at 3pm The Israeli war on Gaza – widely considered genocide – did not begin on October 7\, 2023. This series will look at the background of Zionism and colonialism that laid the foundation for ongoing wars and today’s violence in the Middle East. Palestinian dispossession\, we will see\, began more than a century ago. \n\nJanuary 5 – CONQUEST AND COLONIALISM IN THE MIDDLE EAST DURING THE 20TH CENTURY: The roots of the contemporary Middle East go back to the First World War and its aftermath; the birth of Zionism as a political movement.\n\nVideo: https://youtube.com/live/Y_75LgjQiAg \nSlides: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jTrcqiR3IZlebo5bUQHziKVeavw10VRO/ \n\nJanuary 12 – MANDATES AND REPRESSION IN PALESTINE AND BEYOND: The failure of the British colonial attempt to shape Palestine in conformance with the Balfour Declaration; Palestinian resistance and the first proposals for partition; Zionist terror; British\, French colonialism in Iraq\, Syria and Lebanon.\n\nVideo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duY-ABJP_8A \nSlides:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nhUBtaPKkUQZdInsLL7GTMbgIgnGmoK0/ \n\nJanuary 26 – THE US AND ISRAEL IN THE MIDDLE EAST: Although the US government supported the Zionist project from the time of the First World War\, and it was quick to recognize the independence of Israel in 1948\, US policies toward the Middle East centered on Oil and later Cold War interests. The US was not much involved the Middle East until the 1930s and then oil-rich Saudi Arabia\, not Israel\, was its close all — as it remains to this day. Republicans – who as a party are now firmly pro-Israel —  were skeptical in the 1950s and 1960s of unconditional support for Israel. It was only in the 1970s that Israel came to be viewed as an important strategic ally\, especially in the context of the Cold War. Since then\, the Israel Lobby also became an important player in US politics.\n\nVideo:  https://youtube.com/live/Chuz0APhZic \nSlides:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zSHbg52kYJI1Z27hx8mq-5rYGn_h4dbg/ \n\nFebruary 2 – LOOKING IN THE MIRROR: How the U.S. has shaped the contemporary Middle East from before the Cold War to the present. Indigenous nationalism and its opponents. Addressing the domestic colonial and imperial background to US support for Israel and its destabilizing interference in the region.\n\nVideo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_pdo_Q8Rpw&t=4418s \nSlides: https://drive.google.com/file/d/13ZTXZlBuyRkkIfTFQ4aR-UConOBdpT-1/ \nSpeaker: Jeff Klein is a veteran anti-war activist\, retired machinist and local trade-union president\, who for 8 years until 2023 taught a course on “The US in the Middle East” at the UMass Boston Lifelong Learning Institute.  He is a board member of Massachusetts Peace Action and a member of its Gaza Israel Mideast peace campaign’s steering committee. Since 2004 Jeff has traveled almost every year to Palestine/Israel and elsewhere in the Middle East\, and has many close friends among veteran activists in Palestine\, Lebanon and Jordan.  He has also worked in Nicaragua and for the exiled African National Congress in Zambia.  Check out his weekly presentations on “Genocide in Gaza” and read his articles on the Middle East. \nRegister to attend any or all of the four sessions.  Course materials: Readings and Resources on Israel/Palestine Course Outline – the US in the Middle East – This outline was prepared for an 8-session version of the course given at UMass Boston in fall 2023.  The material will be condensed for this 4-session online version.
URL:https://masspeaceaction.org/event/gaza-in-context-the-colonial-history-that-shaped-the-modern-middle-east-3-2/
LOCATION:Online Event
CATEGORIES:Palestine/Israel
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://masspeaceaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/gaza-in-context-part-4.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Massachusetts Peace Action Education Fund":MAILTO:info@masspeaceaction.org
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250208T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250208T153000
DTSTAMP:20260610T145522
CREATED:20250116T200352Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250120T145714Z
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SUMMARY:Reporting from the Frontlines of the Massacre
DESCRIPTION:Haggai will talk with us about the latest events in the Israeli onslaught in Gaza\, the chances for a ceasefire\, Israel’s campaigns in Lebanon and Syria and the push for attacking Iran. We will also discuss the overall climate among Jewish Israelis for relations with the Palestinians\, the future of the country\, and the role of the media in all of this. \nHaggai Matar is an award-winning Israeli journalist and political activist\, and the executive director of +972 Magazine\, which is an independent\, online\, nonprofit media outlet run by a group of Palestinian and Israeli journalists\, founded in 2010.  He is a conscientious objector who refused to serve in the Israeli army back in 2002\, and spent two years in prison. \nRegister to attend. 
URL:https://masspeaceaction.org/event/reporting-from-the-frontlines-of-the-massacre/
LOCATION:Online Event
CATEGORIES:Palestine/Israel
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://masspeaceaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2-8-Haggar-Matai-webinar-.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Massachusetts Peace Action Education Fund":MAILTO:info@masspeaceaction.org
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250210T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250210T150000
DTSTAMP:20260610T145522
CREATED:20250205T154853Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250207T202459Z
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SUMMARY:Challenge Anti-Palestinian Racism at Commission Hearing
DESCRIPTION:Are you concerned about anti-Palestinian racism promulgated under the umbrella of the Mass Special Commission on Combatting Antisemitism? \nThe commission will hold a hearing on Monday\, February 10 at 1pm. It will feature testimony by four representatives of Together for an Inclusive Massachusetts (TIM)— a group of Jewish\, Muslim\, Christian\, labor\, education\, student\, civil rights and other organizations and individuals advocating for justice and equity in the Commonwealth. \nAttend the hearing to support our representatives and gain a better understanding of the issues at stake.  The hearing will be in room A-1 of the State house and can also be viewed online; go to https://malegislature.gov/Events/Hearings/Detail/5080 for further information. \nThen\, sign up to receive TIM’s occasional action alerts. \nTIM came together in response to a back-door effort\, supported by Israel-aligned advocacy groups (ADL\, JCRC\, AJC\, and more)\, to shape antisemitism policy and education in the Commonwealth.  The Legislature formed a commission that is heavily stacked with exponents of the pro-Israel narrative on antisemitism — which regards anti-Zionism as equivalent to antisemitism.  Antisemitism is a serious problem\, but it can’t be fought by silencing and censoring those who also support the humanity and rights of Palestinians. Please help us broaden the circle of Massachusetts residents and legislators who are watching the work of the commission and holding them to account for fact-based\, nuanced\, and antiracist recommendations. \nTIM’s steering committee includes Boston Workers Circle\, Massachusetts Peace Action\, Jewish Voice for Peace Boston\, Alliance for Water Justice in Palestine\, Sawa: Newton-Area Alliance for Peace and Justice\, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Massachusetts\, MTA Rank and File for Palestine\, Alliance for Water Justice in Palestine\, and If Not Now Boston. TIM seeks to ensure that the Commonwealth’s next steps are inclusive\, transparent\, and constructive. It is our deep and unwavering commitment to equality and justice for all—including Jews and Palestinians—that compel our work. \nRead an earlier article about TIM’s work. \n \nYes\, I’ll be there
URL:https://masspeaceaction.org/event/challenge-anti-palestinian-racism-at-commission-hearing/
LOCATION:Massachusetts State House – room A-1\, 24 Beacon St\, Boston\, MA\, 02108\, United States
CATEGORIES:Palestine/Israel
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://masspeaceaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/02-10-Challenge-Anti-Palestinian-Racism-at-Commission-Hearing-1.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Together for an Inclusive Massachusetts":MAILTO:inclusivemassachusetts@proton.me
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250214T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250214T183000
DTSTAMP:20260610T145522
CREATED:20250207T163237Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250212T203432Z
UID:10003256-1739552400-1739557800@masspeaceaction.org
SUMMARY:The True Superheroes of Gaza Standout
DESCRIPTION:Following the February 14th release of Marvel’s\, Captain America: Brave New World\, join us outside of the AMC Boston Common Theater to recognize true superheroes: those who have sustained\, protected\, and saved the victims and survivors of the genocide in Palestine. \nRead more about our project!
URL:https://masspeaceaction.org/event/the-true-superheroes-of-gaza-standout/
LOCATION:AMC Boston Common\, 175 Tremont St\, Boston\, 02111
CATEGORIES:Palestine/Israel
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://masspeaceaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/02-15-AMC-DA-event-post.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Massachusetts Peace Action":MAILTO:info@masspeaceaction.org
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250220T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250220T200000
DTSTAMP:20260610T145522
CREATED:20250214T001208Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250214T001208Z
UID:10003265-1740074400-1740081600@masspeaceaction.org
SUMMARY:SEMA.FreePalestine presents "Walled Off"
DESCRIPTION:The SE Mass Coalition for a Free Palestine begins its second Palestine Film Series on February 20 with Walled Off\, a documentary film by Vin Arfuso in collaboration with Anwar Hadid\, Kweku Mandela\, Roger Waters and Immortal Technique. \n6pm to 8pm at the SE Mass Central Labor Council\, 560 Pleasant St.\, New Bedford. \nWalled Off Hotel is a guesthouse established by the notorious artist Banksy in the Palestinian city of Bethlehem. The film takes an intimate look at the lives of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation\, and highlights the importance of creative resistance as a form of protest. In telling the stories of individual Palestinians\, the documentary explores the ways in which media coverage of the conflict perpetuates an inaccurate and biased narrative. Through interviews with activists\, politicians\, and everyday citizens\, the film offers an often unseen perspective on the Palestinian struggle for freedom. The film ultimately seeks to challenge the mainstream media narrative of the occupation\, and to bring to light the realities of life under military.
URL:https://masspeaceaction.org/event/sema-freepalestine-presents-walled-off/
LOCATION:Greaer SE Mass Labor Council\, 560 Pleasant St\, New Bedford\, United States
CATEGORIES:Palestine/Israel
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://masspeaceaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Southeastern-MA-Coalition-for-a-Free-Palestine-Presents.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250224T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250224T193000
DTSTAMP:20260610T145522
CREATED:20250201T164211Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250219T192609Z
UID:10003249-1740420000-1740425400@masspeaceaction.org
SUMMARY:Eradicating Gaza: How to Remember and Forget Genocide
DESCRIPTION:Register to attend. \n \nA discussion with Prof. Omer Bartov. As we’ve been witnessing a genocide in Gaza for the past 15 months\, it’s timely to reflect on the politics of the use of the word “genocide”\, and the use and misuse of the memory of the Holocaust in WW2. \nProf. Bartov will also expand our thinking about the development of Zionism over time: as a settler colonization effort\, as a mechanism for helping Jewish refugees and as an ideological national movement. \nOmer Bartov is an Israeli-American historian. He is the Samuel Pisar Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Brown University\, where he has taught since 2000. Bartov is a historian of the Holocaust and is considered a leading authority on genocide.
URL:https://masspeaceaction.org/event/eradication-gaza-how-to-remember-and-forget-genocide/
LOCATION:Online Event
CATEGORIES:Palestine/Israel
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://masspeaceaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/02-24-Eradication-Gaza-How-to-remember-and-Forget-Genocide.png
ORGANIZER;CN="Massachusetts Peace Action Education Fund":MAILTO:info@masspeaceaction.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250227T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250227T130000
DTSTAMP:20260610T145522
CREATED:20250218T183332Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250218T183332Z
UID:10003266-1740657600-1740661200@masspeaceaction.org
SUMMARY:Western Massachusetts Stands with Smith SJP
DESCRIPTION:This rally\, organized in consultation with Smith Students for Justice in Palestine\, is intended to show broad community support for the demands that Smith College: \n(1) completely divest from holdings that are in any way connected with the genocide against the Palestinian people; \n(2) speak out against Israel’s scholasticide against the Palestinian people; \n(3) end new Smith policies aimed at suppressing free speech at Smith.
URL:https://masspeaceaction.org/event/western-massachusetts-stands-with-smith-sjp/
LOCATION:Smith College\, John M. Greene Hall\, 60 Elm St\, Northampton\, MA\, 01060
CATEGORIES:Palestine/Israel
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://masspeaceaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Western-Massachusetts-Stands-with-Smith-SJP.png
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